Sheriff Paulk: Get inside, stay inside during hurricane

Oct. 09--VALDOSTA -- Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk said Hurricane Michael could be worse than Hurricane Irma last year.

He is encouraging all residents to stay inside during the worst of Hurricane Michael that is expected to hit early Wednesday morning.

Paulk said the Emergency Management Director Ashley Tye told officials they are expecting sustained winds of 60 miles-an-hour from between 2 a.m. to 8 a.m.

"People need to get inside and stay inside and be very, very cautious after it's over of downed power lines and leaning trees," Paulk said. "If you don't have to get out, don't go out right after the storm."

The sheriff's office doesn't intend on putting a curfew in place, but residents should not go outside, he said.

Paulk said deputies will only respond to the worst calls out of their own safety.

"We will be working, but if the winds get higher than 45 miles an hour, we will only answer the most dire calls," he said. "We won't be answering calls that aren't a life-threatening emergency because it's too dangerous."

He warned residents to not take this storm lightly and to be prepared for the worst. Residents should stock up on non-perishables, water and gas, he said.

The Times will also have a LiveBlog offering immediate updates from local and national services on our website at valdostadailytimes.com/news/hurricaneseason. To submit photos, videos or updates to the LiveBlog, use #hurricanemichaelvaldosta on Twitter.

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